


Traditions

by writertitan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Heavy Angst, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), i guess you could consider this angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28586094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writertitan/pseuds/writertitan
Summary: Levi will never miss celebrating your birthday. Not ever.
Relationships: Levi & Reader, Levi/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 79





	Traditions

Levi awoke with the rising sun and chirping birds, the first sunny day after almost a week of bad, cloudy weather. Ironic, in a way. He stayed in bed for a while longer, eyes staring at nothing, mind flashing back to the dream of you he’d been having. It was already fading and he could only remember flashes, little scenes here and there, all of them filled with you and the inability to reach you. The dream was disappearing the more he thought back to you, but the feelings it had evoked were strong and made him clutch his pillow. 

Today was your birthday and, like he had requested last year, he asked for the day off from his duties in honor of your birth. He eyed the bouquet of daisies and the small slice of lavender and blueberry cake on his desk, your favorites, and sat up in bed as he rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes, permanently erasing the dream with it. 

His morning routine stayed the same, aside from the fact that nobody had come in to annoy him with some pointless question or urgent matter. His rare days off always made him uneasy with the lack of things to do, with the exception of days like these, like your birthday, when even the slightest intrusion was bothersome. Everyone knew better than to fuck with him on a day like today, a special occasion. Today was all about you. 

Levi carefully packaged the slice of cake and the flowers into a woven basket by his desk that also held a few other things he would be taking to you, and then he composed himself a bit by his door before stepping out, careful to avoid anyone out in the hall. Thankfully it was early enough that only emptiness greeted him. He could hear the stirrings of the first early risers in the women’s quarters, and a louder ruckus in the men’s quarters, complaints to be quiet, shouts to wake up, the usual. It was supposed to be like any other day. 

Hange, unfortunately, was already up. Or had never gone to sleep. Either was a possibility these days. Levi didn’t look at her and ignored her as he passed her by. 

“T-” 

“Fuck off,” he muttered flatly before she could get a word in, already almost outside, closer to where you were. Hange was insufferable as it was, but even more so when she always deliberately refused to listen to Levi when he demanded not to be bothered. 

“Tell her I said happy birthday!” 

Levi said nothing as he finally stepped foot outside, blinking as he adjusted to the sunny day. It had been so dreary all week, so grey and colorless, but of course the sun had come out today. He scoffed a little and threw a glare up at the sky, his feet leading him to the place he knew better than any other. The place you shared with him. 

The basket weighed heavier on his arms the closer he got, his heart beating faster though his face betrayed nothing. Why did he always react like this? It was fucking annoying. He was annoyed, but shook it off as he climbed up a small hill, a single tree perched at the top. The branches swayed in the mild wind and it looked sturdy, happy in the surprise sunlight of the day. 

There you were. 

“Hi.” The greeting was casual, nonchalant. If anyone else had heard him, they wouldn’t have known any better. Only Levi could hear the catch of his breath at the end. Only Levi knew how hard it was to force the word out. 

Your initials were carved onto the trunk of the tree, along with the date of your birth. Below that was another date. A more sinister one. 

The day that Levi had lost you. The day his heart, what remained of it, died along with you. 

At the base of the tree was the shitty wooden cross he’d carved out for you; he still had a few scars from the whittling knife he’d used. It didn’t have your name scratched on it because Levi couldn’t bear to think of his hard work being marred by detestable handwriting, but it did have a daisy on it, carved on by Erwin, who was much more skilled with the whittling knife. It was actually a decent carving. You would have liked it. 

Levi set to work immediately, talking to you all the while, just little things. 

“I brought you your favorites, since you’re such a spoiled brat,” he said, leaning the daisies on the cross and then setting the slice of cake down gently. The other things he’d brought along, like his little gardening tools and some water in his moleskin, came out next and he set to work on cleaning up your little makeshift resting place, pulling out some weeds and dusting off your cross to rid it of dust and potential bugs. It had to be as presentable as possible. After all, this is where you were. It was where Levi had spread the remnants of you into the wind, at your happy spot, where you’d always run off to. Where you had eventually brought him along to. 

Stone-faced until the last of the weeds were pulled and everything was not only pristine, but _Levi_ pristine, he relaxed to sit against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes and sighing deeply as hints of your lavender and blueberry dessert wafted to his nose in the slight breeze. For a moment, just a brief moment, it was like you were actually there, instead of scattered every which way around him. You weren’t there but you were everywhere somehow. Even the fucking sun had come out just for your birthday. Levi believed it wholeheartedly. No doubt you'd had a say in that, right? Persistent as you were. 

“Spoiled brat,” he murmured, eyes opening slowly. The disappointment to see he was still alone was short-lived but deep. Like a quick stab to the heart. He thought for a moment, leaning away from the tree to look up at your initials with a thoughtful expression. He slumped against the tree once more, your face coming to mind. “I guess I should really fill you in on what you’ve missed since your last birthday.” 

And so he did. He talked about your squad, Hange, the progress they’ve made, the ridiculous behaviors of the newer recruits. Talked, and talked, and talked. And only once he was all out of topics about everyone and everything else did he stop, and quieted down. 

“Nothing’s new with me,” he said. He shrugged and plucked at the grass. “What’s new with you?” 

Another breeze came by and rustled your bouquet of daisies, and then whipped at his cheeks and tousled his hair. 

“You’re always such a little shit,” he murmured, but leaned into the wind, pretending. You were still everywhere. You’d promised him that. 

“Hange says happy birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not even sorry, enjoy this semi-short sad boi energy. Thanks for reading!


End file.
